Miracles From Heaven Movie Review

Miracles from Heaven delivers an emotionally tear jerking film with central themes of sacrificial love, family life, and true faith. Starring Jennifer Garner, Queen Latifah, and Kylie Rodgers, Miracles from Heaven tells the true life love story of Mother Christy Beam and her daughter Annabelle (Anna) Beam as they struggle to find a doctor who can treat Annabelle’s rare intestinal condition.

First Impressions Prior to Seeing the Film: I walked into the theater having seen the trailer and New Catholic Generation’s first impression of the trailer and had an overall idea of what to expect. The critics of NCG were less than optimistic about the film, so I was a bit skeptical but very hopeful. I was also a little concerned about how heaven would be portrayed in the movie, but ultimately I was very satisfied as it was done without attempting to capture more than it possibly could portray. One thing to be aware of with this movie is that because it is based on a headlining news story the trailer does give away the basic premise of the film. The producers are assuming that many people have already heard the story so instead of using the element of surprise, they are using famous actors and the nutshell version of the movie to get you in the theater. However, the remarkable emotional delivery of the actors and the beauty of the story in its totality are worth the entire watch!

Summary: As I said before Miracles from Heaven is the story of the Beam family as mother and daughter try to find a doctor who can treat Anna’s rare intestinal condition. They go through doctor after doctor as they look for a diagnosis. When they finally are able to see a specialist halfway across the country, they have to find a way to make things work for the whole family with no guarantees any treatment will help the incurable disease. After months of unsuccessful treatment the family decides to take Anna home and before long the famous miracle and supernatural visit takes. The movie wraps up with a great message and tidbits from the actual Beam family in the credits.

What’s There to Like: There are so many things to like about this movie I do not know where to begin! The main thing that really struck me is how the family and their interactions are portrayed.

Fierce Motherly Love: the most obvious interactions are those between Christy and Anna. Played by Jennifer Garner, Christy fights tooth and nail for the right diagnosis, the right doctor, and the right treatment and the medications. She works tirelessly to make sure daughter receives all the care she needs and takes part in that care as much as she can, never leaving her daughter’s side. Whether that means taking a chance on an unknown outcome or not. If her baby needs something to make her comfortable Christy will make sure Anna will receive it. It is truly beautiful to see the love between mother and daughter throughout the entire film and the power that this kind of love can have.

Leading Father: While Christy is away with Anna, Kevin Beam holds down the fort at home. He takes on more hours at work and takes care of his other two daughters and many animals. During this time of doubt and darkness, he leads the family in faith. Kevin truly believes his daughter will get better and is seen numerous times reassuring his other two daughters of this. As a husband, he encourages his wife to pray and reminds Christy when she begins to lose faith that they are on God’s time. He tells her that though she may disagree and dislike some rather rude people at their church that is not why she comes there. The love and leadership he shows is exactly the type that needs to be portrayed in all families and, movies

The Concept of Faith: One awesome thing about this movie is it does not try to as many people put it “shove faith down your throat”. Instead it presents the true story of a family for whom faith is a very important part of their lives. It also does not portray faith and hope as an easy thing to say yes to. For a period of time one of the characters loses some faith and it shows the very real frustration and confusion of where God is among the storm. It displays what a beautiful thing faith can be but does not do this in a biased or seemingly fake way.

What is There to Dislike: There really is not much to dislike about this movie. This is not exactly a dislike, but a saddening comment I would like to make. The Beam family is Protestant, but as a Catholic I can’t help but think of the merit of suffering and how we can offer up our pain, confusion, our struggles to our Lord. I feel richly blessed to be able to do this in such a way that my sacrifice can help someone. I think Protestants are really missing out in that respect. Also, with absolutely no disrespect to this movie at all, it makes me wonder how many Catholic stories there are out there that are not being told.

Comments and reactions:

It is from the makers of Heaven is For Real!!!

O my gosh, I am crying… I never cry in movies…

And I am crying again…

Round three in tearsville.

Queen Latifa!!!

Jennifer Garner did a FANTASTIC job displaying all the emotions, of concern, anger, frustration, confusion, and deep deep love.

I think it is really cool that the actual Beam family is featured after the film, and they fully approve of this portrayal of their family.

Bottom Line Message of the Film: Miracles can be big or small, but they happen to us everyday, and it is up to us to choose to recognize them. We can choose to see God in everything, or we can choose to find the bad in everything. God is present in our everyday lives and if we are paying attention we will see the good, the love, and the blessings he is bringing to our lives with each and every step of the way. I would fully recommend this movie to anyone. It is a great family movie with a wonderful message.

Did you see Miracles from Heaven? If you saw the movie too, tell me what you thought in the comments below. (Be sure to warn us though if you are going to give spoilers.)

Hello world! I am a Catholic liberal arts college student who is slowly learning her place in this crazy world. I love reading, writing, history, theology, graphic design, theatre, playing my flute, and singing (especially songs from musicals). When people ask that daunting question "Soooo what do you want to do?" (with an implied... "with your life") the answer in my head is "IMPACT CULTURE FOR CHRIST!!!". I am not sure exactly how God wants me to do that yet but I am excited to find out! Pray for me while I am on my journey and I will be sure to pray for you and yours. In the meantime, let's give it all to God so that together we can impact this crazy world one soul at a time!
May God Bless you!